Go Short 2026: Oscar Shorts
A series featuring a mix of Oscar-nominated animated, fiction, and documentary films.
Every year, the Academy Awards ceremony takes place in Hollywood, where Oscars are awarded to the best films, actors, directors, screenplays, costume designers—you name it! If you ask Go Short, the most important Oscars you can win are, of course, those in the short film categories. Haven’t seen them yet? Don’t worry! With this mix of nominated animated, fiction, and documentary films, we’re happy to help you get started.
Content warning: death and grief
Movies in this program
Retirement Plan
John Kelly, Ireland, 7 min
Ray goes through life apathetically, dreaming of the beauty and joy he will find in retirement.
Papillon (Butterfly)
Florence Miailhe, France, 15 min
As a man swims in the sea, memories surface. From his early childhood to his adult life, all his memories are connected to water. This story will be about his final swim.
La jeune fille qui pleurait des perles (The Girl Who Cried Pearls)
Maciek Szczerbowski, Chris Lavis, Canada, 18 min
A poignant fable about a girl overwhelmed by grief, the boy who loves her, and how greed drives good hearts to commit evil deeds.
Perfectly a Strangeness
Alison McAlpine, Canada, 15 min
In the dazzling glow of an unknown desert, three donkeys discover an abandoned observatory and the universe. A sensory, cinematic exploration of what a story can be.
A Friend of Dorothy
Lee Knight, United Kingdom, 21 min
Dorothy (BAFTA winner Miriam Margolyes) is a lonely widow whose body is failing, but whose mind is as sharp as ever. When 17-year-old JJ (Alistair Nwachukwu) accidentally kicks his soccer ball into her yard, an unlikely friendship blossoms. Although they are worlds apart in every way, the two discover they have more in common than they could ever have imagined.
Fri, Oct. 9–Sun, Oct. 11, 2026
Go Short Arnhem
This film program is part of Go Short Arnhem 2026, the premier short film festival taking place October 9–11 in Arnhem.
